Politics

Ilhan Omar When Asked If She Married Her Brother: ‘Not To My Knowledge’

(Screenshot/CNN)

Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar stated Wednesday that she did not believe her ex-husband was her brother.

Omar did not definitively deny that her ex-husband, Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, was her brother during a segment on MS NOW’s “All In with Chris Hayes.” Hayes raised the question after the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened an investigation into Omar’s immigration status in mid-October.

“You’re not related to him at all?” Hayes asked. “

“Not to my knowledge,” Omar said.

Omar previously denied allegations that she married her brother, telling Minnesota Public Radio in 2016 that any insinuations are “absurd and offensive.”

The Minnesota congresswoman has been accused of marrying her brother in 2009 to help him obtain a green card. They divorced on Dec. 4, 2017.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided Omar’s home on Oct. 12 and subpoenaed dozens of individuals, including Omar’s relatives, to investigate her immigration status. The investigation will look into whether Omar’s late father, Nur Omar Mohamed, lied or omitted information in immigration forms before becoming a U.S. citizen, including his daughter’s age.

Omar obtained U.S. citizenship in 2000 when she was allegedly 17 years old.

Federal prosecutors plan to use DNA evidence to prove Omar married her brother, sources told The New York Post.

Omar accused the administration of politically targeting her with “baseless lies and smear campaigns.”

“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement. For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced,” Omar said in an Oct. 12 statement on X.

Manhattan Institute senior fellow Ilya Shapiro previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation that legislation Omar previously passed would remain legally binding, although legislation that passed by a one-vote margin would likely face legal challenges. The de facto officer doctrine preserves the validity of official acts performed by a person who occupied the office at the time, even if they were later found ineligible to serve.